Seagulls Soaring Once Again

[MWEST94]

August Summary
Gignac scores wonder goal on debut
Barnsley in League Cup
2 goal comeback against West Brom

Sunderland 1 v 1 Brighton (L)
Gignac

Southampton 2 v 2 Brighton (L)
Ince, West

Barnsley 0 v 2 Brighton (LC)
Barnes, Barry

Brighton 3 v 2 West Brom (L)
Lopez, Gignac, West

Summary
A good start to our Premier League campaign gaining 5 points from 3 games and remaining unbeaten. We also progressed into the next round of the League cup. The best game was against West Brom where we came back from 2 goals down to win. The new signings seem to be gelling well so hopefully we will have a successful season.

Player of the month
West – been great for us and scored a couple of goals

League position
6th​ ​

 

[MWEST94]

September Summary
Remy eats seagulls for breakfast
West scores mystery corner goal
Fulham in League Cup

QPR 3 v 0 Brighton (L)

Brighton 1 v 2 Swansea (L)
West

Fulham 1 v 4 Brighton (LC)
West, Buckley, Mackail-Smith (2)

Fulham 1 v 0 Brighton (L)

Summary
A dismal month for us as we suffer 3 defeats in the league and it leaves us in sixteenth place. It didn’t help that we played poorly throughout those games. The only bit of good news was thrashing Fulham and going through to the next round of the League Cup to face Tottenham.

Player of the month

Mackail-Smith – played very well this month and got a brace against Fulham

League position
16th​ ​

 

[MWEST94]

October Summary
Good point at Arsenal
League cup battle
Ince on form

Brighton 0 v 1 Liverpool (L)

Arsenal 1 v 1 Brighton (L)
Ulloa

Newcastle 0 v 3 Brighton (L)
Ince (2), Buckley

Brighton 2 v 1 Tottenham (LC)
Ulloa, Barnes
*After extra time

Summary
A much better month for us. We played well against Liverpool and did not get a point and played poorly at Arsenal but somehow managed a point. The pace of Ince and Buckley blew Newcastle away and gave us a much needed win in the league. The Tottenham game was very feisty but Barnes got the winner to put us through to the next round.

Player of the month
​

Tom Ince – has been in great form, scoring and assisting

League position
15th​ ​

 

[MWEST94]

November Summary
West form earns England call up
Magnificent LuaLua strike
Gignac back in the goals

Brighton 0 v 1 Man City (L)

Brighton 3 v 1 Blackburn (L)
West (2), Gignac

Stoke 1 v 2 Brighton (L)
Gignac, West

Cardiff 0 v 1 Brighton (L)
LuaLua

Summary
Another decent month for us. We played well against City and could have got a point, their goal scorers just performed better on the day. Following this we had three straight victories which pushes us up the table. We were a bit lucky against Cardiff but is still another 3 points so I am not complaining! West and Gignac have been great this month.

Player of the month
West – his form and attacking play have been great this month

League position
10th​ ​

 

[MWEST94]

December Summary
Eagles vs Seagulls
Man City in the cup
Tough games this month

Brighton 1 v 0 Crystal Palace (L)
Ulloa

Norwich 5 v 3 Brighton (L)
Gignac, Diakite, Snodgrass (OG)

Everton 1 v 3 Brighton (L)
Ince, West, Gignac

Man City 5 v 1 Brighton (LC)
Dunk

Brighton 1 v 2 chelsea (L)
Terry (OG)

Brighton 1 v 3 Tottenham (L)
Dunk

Man Utd 5 v 2 Brighton (L)
West, Cleverly (OG)

Summary
Crazy month which leaves us in mid table. Started off with the Palace/ Brighton Derby which thankfully we won. In the Norwich game we were 3-1 down, then managed to get it to 3-3 only to lose it in the last 10 minutes. The Everton game was our best so far, have not seen a game which we completely controlled from start to finish. Our League Cup journey comes to an end thanks to a blistering Man City display. This was followed by defeats to three of the top teams. We got some good points this month and a lot of the big teams are out of the way.

Player of the month

Gareth Barry – has been great for us and his experience has been key to our position in the league.

League position
12th​ ​

 

[MWEST94]

January Summary
FA Cup begins
Foster walks ball into the net
Transfers

Transfers
In:
Martyn Hart (275k)

Just the one signing with regen Hart joining our youth. A number of youngsters went out on loan.

QPR 0 v 2 Brighton (FAC)
Januzaj, Gignac

Sunderland 0 v 3 Brighton (L)
West, Ince, Ulloa

Brighton 1 v 1 Southampton (L)
Jorginho

West Brom 3 v 4 Brighton (L)
Buckley, Foster (OG), Januzaj (2)

Rotherham 0 v 4 Brighton (FAC)
Lingard, Lopez, Ulloa, Januzaj

Brighton 1 v 1 QPR (L)
Barry

Swansea 0 v 3 Brighton (L)
Ulloa (2), Barry

Summary
A good unbeaten month with our FA Cup journey beginning. Both FA Cup games we dominated and we are through to the next round. We had some great wins against Sunderland and Swansea. The West Brom game was end to end but thankfully we won it.

Player of the month

Leonardo Ulloa – got some great goals this month

League position
9th​​

 

[MWEST94]

February Summary
Gave the big teams a good pecking
Rose scores a beauty against us
FA Cup run continues

Brighton 3 v 0 Fulham (L)
Lopez, Gignac (2)

Liverpool 1 v 2 Brighton (L)
Dunk (2)

Brighton 3 v 1 Arsenal (L)
Ulloa (3)

Stevenage 2 v 5 Brighton (FAC)
LuaLua, Meekings, Lingard (2), Barnes

Man City 4 v 0 Brighton (L)

Blackburn 1 v 4 Brighton (L)
Ulloa (2), Barry, West

Summary
What a great month for us with the only issue being the thumping by Man City. We started against Fulham with a flattering 3-0 win. Dunk scored two great headers which gave us a good result and we reached the 40 point marker. I was a little worried in the Arsenal they took an early lead but we battled on and Ulloa scored three great counter attacking goals. If you look at both teams we are in complete opposite positions to what is expected, with us in 6th​ and Arsenal in 17th​. Our second team thrashed Stevenage to progress in the FA Cup and we got a good win against Blackburn.

Player of the month

Lewis Dunk – scored both goals against Liverpool and has been a towering figure in defence

League position
7th​ ​

 

[MWEST94]

March Summary
FA Cup game against Chelsea
New youth intake

Best youngster
View attachment 367012View attachment 367013
This player looks great for the future

Brighton 3 v 1 Chelsea (FAC)
West, Courtois (OG), Ince

Brighton 1 v 0 Newcastle (L)
Dunk

Brighton 0 v 1 Stoke (L)

Summary
A quiet month with only three games being played. We began with an FA tie against Chelsea which I was expecting to lose. But we completely dominated Chelsea with counter attacking football. Both league games there were not many chances in the game and it was a bit boring but least we got a win against Newcastle to make us look more like a mid-table team rather than relegation battlers.

Player of the month
West – completely destroyed Chelsea with his passing

League position
8th​ ​

 

[MWEST94]

April Summary
FA Cup semi-final
How far can Seagulls soar up the table?
Free kick beauty from West

Brighton 3 v 1 Cardiff (L)
West, Gignac (2)

Brighton 4 v 0 Norwich (L)
Buckley, Barry, West, Dunk

Leeds 0 v 2 Brighton (FAC)
Gignac, Barry

Crystal Palace 0 v 0 Brighton (L)

Chelsea 0 v 1 Brighton (L)
West

Summary
Another great unbeaten month for us and progress in the cup. We showed we belonged in the Prem with two dominating wins against Norwich and Cardiff. We had our FA Cup semi-final game against Leeds. We started off shaky but with two late goals we are through to the final to face Tottenham. The Palace/ Brighton was a dull 0-0. The highlight of the month was an away victory against Chelsea. Chelsea dominated but a West free kick gave us an unlikely victory.

Player of the month

Gareth Barry – been our best performer and got two crucial goals

League position
5th​​

 

[MWEST94]

May Summary
Planas wonder volley
FA Cup final
League comes to an end

Tottenham 2 v 0 Brighton (L)

Brighton 2 v 2 Everton (L)
Planas, Gignac

Tottenham 4 v 0 Brighton (FAC)

Brighton 0 v 0 Man Utd (L)

Summary
After a great season it comes to a poor end for us. We started with an away game against Tottenham in the league which gave us a chance to analyse them. They simply blew us away. We got two good draws against Everton and Man Utd which leaves us in 7th​ which is much higher than I was predicting at the start of the season. The disappointment was being thrashed by Tottenham in the FA Cup. But reaching the final is a great achievement and we have the bonus of playing in Europe next season.

Player of the month

Carles Planas – for the goal

League position
7th​​

 

[MWEST94]

Season Summary
It was a great second season for Brighton as we finished seventh in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final. After a poor start we picked up some good results which meant we looked more like a mid-table side rather than one set for a relegation battle. In the FA Cup we battled hard to reach the final which is a great achievement even though we lost! We also have the added bonus of playing in Europe next season.

In the Premier League Man Utd were crowned champions with Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham taking up the remaining Champions League places. Unfortunately Norwich, Crystal Palace and Sunderland were relegated which means no Palace/ Brighton derby next season! Replacing them are Wigan, Nottm Forest and Leeds. Tottenham beat us in the FA Cup final 4-0 and Chelsea beat Man City 3-1 in the League Cup final.

Around Europe: PSG, Dortmund, Vitesse, AC Milan, FCP and Real Madrid won their leagues. It was a Spanish clash and French clash in the European competitions. Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the Champions League while OM lost 6-3 to PSG in the Euro Cup.

League tables
View attachment 363808

Overall Premier League awards
Footballer of the year – Robin Van Persie
Player’s player of the year – Shinji Kagawa
Young player of the year – Eden Hazard
Manager of the year – Bielsa (Man Utd)
Highest average rating – Rafael (7.53)
Top goal scorer – Robin Van Persie (27)
Top assists – Juan Mata (16)
Team of the year
View attachment 363807

Brighton awards
Player of the year – Matthew West
Highest average rating – Matthew West (7.36)
Top assists – Will Buckley (14)
Top goal scorer – Matthew West (15)
Team of the year
View attachment 363806​

 

[MWEST94]

....

 

[MWEST94]

Third season
Transfers
In:
Remy Cabella (5m)
Jack Robinson (loan)
Yann Sommer (free)
Juanfran (1.5m)
Angelo Henriquez (loan)
James Tomkins (3.2m)
James Milner (free)
Adam El-Abd (free)
George Green (free)

Out:
Ashley Barnes (750k)
Kazenga LuaLua (free)
Craig Mackail-Smith (loan)
Andrew Crofts (loan)
David Bentley (free)

Brought in some quality players which will help us in Europe. I wanted a created back up to West who could also operate on the wings so bought in Cabella. Unfortunately it meant we could not afford Will Hughes who went to Fulham. Robinson was brought in on loan to cover Planas. Wanted a decent keeper with only Kuszczak and a number of promising youngsters who were not ready so brought in Sommer. My top target was Ruddy but Norwich wanted a ridiculous fee even though they were relegated. Juanfran and Henriquez are great replacements for Bruno and Gignac. Tomkins was probably my bargain signing coming into the back to partner Dunk. Milner is a decent winger and provides experience. Decided to re-sign El-Abd to add more players and increase home grown players. I just got rid of the dead, brought in a couple of Scottish youngsters and loaned quite a few out.

Pre-season
York 2 v 4 Brighton
Tranmere 2 v 6 Brighton
Athletico Madrid 1 v 3 Brighton
Getafe 5 v 2 Brighton
Espanyol 0 v 2 Brighton
Feyenoord 2 v 1 Brighton
Walsall 0 v 2 Brighton
Brighton 2 v 0 Villarreal

A great pre-season for us with a number of great wins including a great result against Athletico Madrid. The signings seem to be gelling well and hopefully we will make a good start to the League and Europe!

Objectives
Top 7 finish
Get past the group stages of the Europa Cup
Semi-finals of one of the cups
Play attacking football
Play youth​

 

[MWEST94]

August Summary
Good start to the league
European adventure begins
Ince in dazzling form

Brighton 4 v 1 West Brom (L)
Ince (2), Barry, West

Kaparty 2 v 2 Brighton (EC)
West, Shatskyh (OG)

QPR 0 v 1 Brighton (L)
West

Brighton 4 v 0 Kaparty (EC)
Ulloa, West, Dunk, Ince

Brighton 3 v 1 Newcastle (L)
Ince (2), Henriquez

Summary
A great start to our league campaign, winning all three games and progressing to the group stage in Europe. In the league we had convincing wins against West Brom and Newcastle and we just edged QPR but we are top! Kaparty gave us a scare in Europe, especially in the first game. We played really well in the second game, even when Meekings got sent off. Our Europa Cup group contains Feyenoord, Toulouse and Athletic Bilbao so it won’t be easy!

Player of the month

Ince – has been scoring for fun

League position
1st​ ​

 

[MWEST94]

September Summary
Comeback kings
We begin at Toulouse
League cup away at Burnley

Blackburn 1 v 2 Brighton (L)
Lingard, Sanabria

Toulouse 1 v 1 Brighton (EC)
Henriquez

Arsenal 1 v 2 Brighton (L)
Henriquez, Lingard

Burnley 4 v 2 Brighton (LC)
Sanabria, Milner

Brighton 0 v 0 Leeds (L)

Summary
A decent month apart from the League cup. We began poorly against Blackburn but rallied back with 2 goals from supersubs Lingard and Sanabria scoring in the 90th​ and 93rd​ minute. We got a respectable draw away at Toulouse. Another comeback against Arsenal which was great. Our second team played poorly against Burnley and Meekings getting sent off again didn’t help. Finally a dull 0-0 against Leeds.

Player of the month

Henriquez – scored some great goals this month and put in a real shift

League position
2nd​ ​

 

[MWEST94]

October Summary
Ulloa supersub
First league loss
Tough month for us

Brighton 2 v 1 Athletic (EC)
Henriquez, Cabella

Brighton 3 v 2 Liverpool (L)
Buckley, Henriquez, Cabella

Brighton 2 v 4 Man City (L)
Sakho (OG), Henriquez

Brighton 2 v 0 Feyenoord (EC)
Ulloa (2)

Fulham 2 v 0 Brighton (L)

Nottm Forest 2 v 1 Brighton (L)
Henriquez

Summary
A mixed month for us with great progress in Europe but poor performances in the league. We started well with a comeback against Athletic and a good win against Liverpool. We got ripped apart by Man City and Fulham and Nottm Forest got comfortable wins against us. It didn’t help that Forest were 2-0 up within 8 minutes and Bridcutt got sent off. We got a good win against Feyenoord and look set to finish top of our group at least.

Player of the month

Henriquez – again for his goals

League position
6th​ ​

 

[MWEST94]

November Summary
Poor start
South coast derby
European thrashing

Feyenoord 5 v 2 Brighton (EC)
West, Ince

Brighton 2 v 2 Southampton (L)
West, Henriquez

Swansea 2 v 3 Brighton (L)
West, Ince, Ulloa

Brighton 2 v 0 Toulouse (EC)
Buckley, West

Brighton 4 v 1 Stoke (L)
West, Ince, Cabella, Jarvis (OG)

Summary
Apart from the opening game it was quite a good month for us. We dominated the Feyenoord game but they took their chances against us. Thankfully, we look set to finish in the top spot of our group by beating Toulouse. The game against Southampton was very even and I’m happy with the point. I thought we were going to lose against Swansea with them being 2-0 up in the first half but we rallied back and won. Finally, we saved the best to last by thrashing Stoke.

Player of the month

West/ Ince – both have been great this month couldn’t pick between them

League position
4th​​

 

[MWEST94]

December Summary
9 goal thriller
Key game against Athletic
Big games around the Christmas period

Wigan 5 v 4 Brighton (L)
Ulloa, Barry, West, Ince

Cardiff 0 v 1 Brighton (L)
Greer

Athletic 2 v 2 Brighton (EC)
Milner (2)

Brighton 0 v 2 Tottenham (L)

Everton 1 v 2 Brighton (L)
West, Henriquez

Brighton 1 v 2 Chelsea (L)
Mata (OG)

Man Utd 0 v 0 Brighton (L)

West Brom 1 v 1 Brighton (L)
Ince

Summary
An ok month for us with a couple of good wins and some poor games as well. We qualified for the next round in the Europa cup in 1st​ place in our group. Toulouse finished 2nd​. In the league it was quite mixed form. In the first game we had Planas sent off, losing 3-1, managed to get it to 4-4 only to lose it in the last 5. We got decent wins against Cardiff and Everton, considering both teams dominated us. We lose narrowly to Tottenham and Chelsea but pick up some good points against West Brom and Man Utd. Man Utd completely destroyed us but just couldn’t score. We didn’t have our first shot till the 88th​ minute.

Player of the month

Lewis Dunk – has been great and deserves an England call-up

League position
5th​​

 

[MWEST94]

January Summary
FA Cup begins
Transfers in and out
Bruno out for 6 months

Transfers
In:
Nick Powell (5.25m)
Callum Cooke (1.6m)
View attachment 352228

Out:
Jorginho (2.6m)
David Lopez (loan)
Bruno (free)

Couldn’t believe Powell was available, he’s young, English and talented so had to buy him while I could. His contract was up in the summer but I didn’t want other clubs coming in for him. Callum Cooke is a promising regen who will hopefully see more of in the future. With Powell coming in I had to let one of my centre mids go and 2.6m was a good price for Jorginho. Lopez wasn’t getting any games so loaned him out. Bruno got injured for 6 months and was retiring anyway so decided to release him.

Sunderland 0 v 4 Brighton (FAC)
Buckley, Cabella, West (2)

Newcastle 0 v 1 Brighton (L)
Tomkins

Brighton 1 v 1 QPR (L)
Henriquez

Brighton 4 v 2 Blackburn (L)
Barry, Powell, Henriquez, Ulloa

Brighton 4 v 1 Norwich (FAC)
Henriquez (3), Sanabria

Leeds 2 v 2 Brighton (L)
West, Lees (OG)

Liverpool 1 v 0 Brighton (L)

Summary
A great month for us in the league and in the cup. We thrashed both Sunderland and Norwich and could be on the way to another FA Cup final. We won most of our league games and picked up a load of points. Disappointed we drew with Leeds though considering they had ten men.

Player of the month

Angelo Henriquez – scored a lot, including an amazing hattrick

League position
6th​​

 

[MWEST94]

February Summary
Sizzling start to the month
Plenty of late goals
Back to European adventure

Brighton 4 v 0 Arsenal (L)
Henriquez (3), Cabella

Brighton 2 v 0 Fulham (L)
Buckley, Tomkins

Brighton 1 v 2 Fulham (FAC)
Henriquez

FC Lorient 1 v 1 Brighton (EC)
Falette (OG)

Man City 1 v 1 Brighton (L)
Ulloa

Brighton 3 v 2 FC Lorient (EC)
Ince, Cabella, West
4-3 on aggregate

Southampton 0 v 1 Brighton (L)
Buckley

Summary
A great month for us! We started well by thrashing Arsenal and comfortably beating Fulham with two late goals. Unfortunately, Fulham got their revenge by beating us in the FA Cup. Our European adventure continues thanks to a narrow home win against FC Lorient. We will play Schalke in the next round. We also got a good 4 points in two very difficult away games. Both games we scored in the 85th​ minute plus!

Player of the month

Lewis Dunk – has been a rock at the back for us

League position
5th​ ​